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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1983-05-25, Page 1SI 135 YEAR -21 NAL-- STAR GODERICH, ONTARIO, WEDNESDAY, MAY 25,1983 50 CENTS PER COPY Gary Renaud, a member of the Goderich branch of St. John Ambulance, has recently learned that he will be promoted to the Order of Serving Brother. Renaud was recommended for the Order because of his work as chief training officer and in public relations for the volunteer service organization. Under Renaud, St. John Ambulance increased its training in first aid courses from 45 a year to 300 a year. Renaud will go to Ottawa in October where the Governor General will present the Order to him. ( photo by Darrell Kloeze) Liberal task force will examine rural problems A five -member Ontario Liberal party task force will begin hearings in Goderich, Wednesday June 1, into the problems confronting rural municipalities. Formed by opposition leader David Peterson to address economic concerns in rural Ontario, the task force will be chaired by John Eakins, Victoria- Haliburton MPP. The first of nine scheduled task force meetings begins in Goderich June 1 and gives municipal organizations, public bodies, service and agricultural -related groups and individuals a chance to express concerns on the salient issues affecting rural municipalities. The former mayor of Lindsay, Eakins says rural areas face rising , unemployment, and a fragile agricultural and industrial base. He hopes the task force can uncover ways in which, the provincial government can help rural communities survive the current recession and flourish. The Goderich meeting will begin in the council chambers at 10 a.M. and task force members will include: chairman Eakins, Herb Epp (Waterloo North), Jack Riddell (Huron -Middlesex), Gordon Miller (Haldimand-Norfolk), Robert McKessock (Grey) and Earl. McEwen (Frontenac Addlington). All are Liberal members of the Legislature. Assistant to the task force Gary Sands explained that the province has been divided into nine zones and the members will meet in a ceitral town in each zone at least twice. The task force has extended invitations to all municipal governments, school boards, com- missions, service and agriculture groups, and all individuals to make brief presentations at the Goderich meeting. Each group will be allotted scheduled time during the day and time will be made available later in the afternoon to hear from con- cerned individuals. Task force members will only listen to the concerns of rural people, as they relate to socio-economic issues, and hope to maximize participation. "Anyone can make a presentation and we urge them to do it," Sands said. "Comments from rural people' are -often neglected and we hope to focus on economic questions. While the task force has no measurable status with respect to policy, Sands said ail the committee's recommendations will be presented to the govern- ment. Some of the questions to be addressed by the task force include: -keeping skilled labour in small towns and establishing apprenticeship and training programs for smaller industries. -how to improve revenue for small municipalities. -how to develop improved and more effective tran- sportation links between rural communities. -how to aiiiit small communities in attracting in- dustry and developing industrial facilities -how to strengthen the voice and politicial clout of the rural municipality. Sands said he had received five replies from his inVitations. Ministry statement filled with smoke and mirrors unions says The union which represents 4,000 workers who care for the developmentally -handicapped said that Community „arid Social Services Minister Frank Drea's statement on community consultation in the closing of six provincial residences for the mentally retarded is "nothing more than smoke and mirrors". Jim Clancy, Chairperson of the bargaining team which negotiates for members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union said Drea is "plainly stung" by allegations that the closings, announced lastyear, were ill-fiCarined and caused by budget con- straints rather than concern for the developmentally handicapped. "Drea says the closings are being carefully plann- ed. But the experience in Brockville, where the dos- ing of the St. Lawrence Regional Centre is well under way, proves ntherwigp". pnev SAM, "If the plan is working so well in Brockville why have a number of residents been returned to the St. Lawrence Centre as being unsuited for life in group homes? "The South -Eastern Regional Directors of the On- tario Association for the Mentally Retarded, one of the groups Drea touts ag having been consulted, have already condemned the closing process in Brockville. "How many of the 1,000 developmentally handicap- ped who are, being forced from the homes will have to move to bigger -facilities, where the Minister has planned a cutback in staff? Clancy asked. "We have come into possession of a document which shows that the Minister of Community and Social Services wants a further across-the-board reduction of 5 percent in staff at the remaining facilities," he said. . _ Turn to page 2 Motorist harassed on The Square Cars prevent lady from leaving Square BY JOANNE MICHANAN A letter to the Goderich Police Commission from a female motorist who was recently harassed on The Square, has sparked yet another discussion on the problems of policing this core area of town. Marjorie Gardner of Meneset Park reports in her letter to the commission that on Saturday, April 9 at 1 a.m. she drOve onto The Square at Kingston Street intending to proceed to Church Street via Colborne Street to drop off a passenger. She writes, "I was prevented from leaving The Square by cars darting along each side of my car, then they took turns cutting in front of me and fish tailing, driving fast and slow by turns. They were also tail gating, blowing horns, yelling and making faces out their open windows." Mrs. Gardner describes the vehicles involved in the incident as "a couple of tucks, but the chief of- fenders were a white car bearing an MEN license plate, a beige car and an older beat up dark colour car. All of them were filled with young men and women." Mrs. Gardner says she ten saw a police cruiser parked on the park side of Tlie Square behind a Trans Axil car and later she sawa second cruiser parked alongside them. She enlisted the help of the second cruiser to escort her to Cburch Street. Meanwhile, she says, the cars and trucks involved in the incident were passing by her and blotting their horns. "After deciding I could not safely make my way from Church Street to -Meneset. Park, I got to the police station and askedthcradto operator if I could one the. OPR He w etyktisk,_WWlilie,,I was in there; diam� Were anitirup West Street at fast speeds skimming the rear end of my car, scaring my friend so that she blew the horn for me to come out. Meanwhile the cruiser officer I talked to on The Square came to the station and eventually' escorted (or followed) us to my home at Meneset.. Needless to say we were both very upset and frightened," Mrs. Gardner concludes. After reading Mrs. Gardner's letter, the com- mission decided to invite her to its next meeting to discuss the problem further. "Meanwhile, we should all be thinking about this problem," said commission chairman Alvin McGee who suggested that each member check out The Square area late at night for themselves. "This town is alive at night and it's quite a rodeo up there (on The Square)," he said while noting that young people today are more mobile and seem a lot bolder. McGee went on to say that "things should not get to the point where people have to be afraid to go to certain areas of this town at any time." When questioned aboat the policing of The Square, Chief Pat King said a lot of charges are laid for slow driving. and unnecessary noise. However, he said being charged does not seem to deter the offenders, especially if no loss of points is involved. He said that these offenders (who are often the same people over and over again) play games with the police and seem to know in which area of town the cruisers or even unmarked cars are at all times. Also while police have one car stopped, other cars will drive by blowing their horns and generally causing a disturbance. He reported that the night Mrs. Gardner had problems on The Square was a particularly busy one for his officers. Commission members discussed the idea of using auxiliary constables on The Square such as those used on Halloween night. They also, suggested that both the Chief and his officers occasionally walk around The Square rather than driving all the time. And they asked Chief King to keep a Closer check on his officers to make !lure The Square was being properly pinked at alltiinea';'i , • Some of the commission mem hers said they felt that there was an attitude problem. Mayor Eileen Palmer suggested that the police officers in town are not keeping their distance and getting enough respect • from the young people. She said the comment had been made to her by a citizen that too many young people are getting off with warnings because of the police attitude that "it's just a waste of time to charge them." Town needs time, money to update water system PUC and town of Goderich officials will be looking to buy some time from the Ministry of Environment before proceeding with the expansion of the water storage and distribution system. Recently the ministry informed council it had approved the town's application to expand and up- date the water system while supplying nearly $1 million of the projected cost of $2 million. The town recognizes the inadequacies of its system and welcomes the ministry's portion of the costs, but the municipality doesn't have its share ($1.1 million) of the project. While the town scrambles to put the financing of the project in order, it hopes the ministry will ease up on its time restrictions. Essentially, the.taxpayer will finance the $2 million expansion of the water system and Friday a joint committee of council and PUC endorsed a motion calling for an additional $2 to be tacked on to the monthly water bill. That $2 monthly fee will be placed in a reserve accounrfor the water project and means that, once council endorses the idea, $3 of each customer's monthly water bill will go into the reserve account. Including the proposed $2 monthly increase, ad- ministrator Larry McCabe projected the 'town would have approximately $400,000 by the end of 1983. Town engineers estimated the bulk of the constructionand cash flow would be between the llth and 27th months of the project. The ministry has given the municipality six weeks to respond to the grant announcenient but town and PUC officials hope to meet with Ministry personnel before the expiry date to discuss the possibility of phasing or delaying the project. Not only should the town Modernize its water distribution system to meet projected needs, but commission member Herb Murphy said the storage and distribution system is not even adequate tomeet today's standards. "We're not only looking to the year 2005 but we're trying to play catchup here as well," he said. "We have to bring the system up to 1980 standards because it is not adequatelor today's needs." • A six-year old report frorn the Ontario Fire Mar- shal's Office suggested the town's water system was inadequate and the town would be in trouble in the event of a major fire. Committee members agreed that a second study, to begin June 6, will simply reinforce that fear. Liquor, beer, money The Goderich Police Department reports that the Legion was broken into between the hours of 11 p.m. Saturday, May 21 and 8 a.m. Sunday, May 22. Four bottles of liquor, some beer and a small amount of quarters were stolen. Although there was some damage done to the premises the Police say there was no sign of forced entry. Sometime during the night of Friday, May 20 the Maitland Country Ciub was broken into and two cases PUC manager Al Lawson said the town could save money if the project was phased over a five-year period. It would , keep interim borrowing to a minimum and allow the reserve fund to build up. He pointed out that it would be at least a year before the ministry approved the drawings. McCabe told the committee that if the town proceeded with the project, it would face a debt of $700,000 to $800,000 at some point and coupled with interim interest charges it would be qiifte-a debt load for the muniapality. An $800,000 15 -year debenture at 12 per cent' interest would cost the town $1.7 million or $118,000 a year. A $700,000 debenture at 12.25 per cent Would. cost the town $1.5 million in principal and interest charges or $105,000 a year in payments. It was estimated that if the town secured a $500,000 debenture and added.$2 a month to the water bills, it would mean annual payments of $73,000. The town,' Clifford said, could almost get by with that. • • However, phasing the project may not be feasible and town engineer Steve Burns explained that while there are many components to the construction, it is treated by the ministry as one project. "The pumping station and reservoir must be completed togetherand there will be no grant money until the teunder is awarded," he said. "You can have multiple contracts but it is considered a single project." Burns anticipated that the Ministry would not want to extend the, deadlines on the project or the grant to the town adding that the ministry doesn't concern itself with the town's financial problems. ' Mayor Eileen Palmer said approval from the ministry came swiftly and has placed the municipality in an awkward situation with respect to financing the project. "It came up quite suddenly," she said. "We need more lead time to do the project in the best manner possible." • When council gave PUC authority to make ap- plication for the grantfor the expansion of the system last September there wp• conc_errtessed that if approved, the town woW4-have to proceed With -the project before the financial aspect was worked out. Others were of the opinion that the application for funds was by no means final. The ministry has allowed the municipality six weeks to respond to the grant. stolen from Legion of beer were taken. Police say the thieves removed a piece of plexiglass from one of the &oat ffi order to getifitutlie-bi-ii lding. The Police also report during tbe _week there were eight cases of willful damage involving cars. Most of the vehicles were damaged by someone shooting a BB gun through the windows, Chief Pat King is requesting any resident who sees a person or persons with such a gun to report it to the Police Department. Group homes should be allovved Goderich planning hoard has asked the town solicitor and county planning department to prepare draft zoning standards for group homes by mewing zoning bylaw 29 of IWO, The motion followed two meetings of pl000ldg, board at which. the request. of the 0040..dcb. and District Association for the Wilatally, Retarded to have group homes permitted: in all residential designations, was discussed. At the last (meeting the board approved ai motion calling for group homes to be permitted in all residential areas after a motion stating that group homes be allowed in all residential areas, except R1 designations, was defeated. The board also recommended that there be no special buffering requirements for group homes to allow the homes to exist in a normal neighbourhood setting. There was also a recommendation that a persons to floor area ratio standard beadopted to prevent overcrowding. The boards motions will be sent to council for ap- proval. Midnight Madness strikes the $quare Late-night madness strikes the Square again this week as Shoppers' Square presents the sixth annual Midnight Madness sale. Stores will be open from p a.m. to midnight Thursday and Friday, May 26 and 27 and until 6 p.m. Saturday, May 28 during the three-day event. This week the Goderich Signal -Star features a special 28 -page tabloid supplement detailing the three-day sale event. County supports regional system The Huron County Library 'Wants to remain in the Midwestern Regional •Librar4 system and will be letting the Ministry of Citizenahip and Culture know this. I • 1 In responding to the Green Paper, a recently released document by the pro'rincial government on libraries, the library.board has,indicated it is opposed atondleacvuirtureMRminIS aisntderthenmetheparopoSalmthateltbeeerstotheitizenship regional board. Huron County Council, at its May 5 meeting, ap- proved forwarding thelibrary board's concerns to the Ministry. A major change proposed inthe Green Paper is to reduce the number of region library systems f rom the current .14 to eight. The ch nge would put. Huron Windsor in the south to Owen und in the north. coUnty in with a system tha covers an area from s • . . ,. • Chief librarian, Bill Partrid . e. soid'HuriM_County, receives a lot . of irzilatie4 at ouli Ichayke it***it;-,„ t • .her library syste.mi 644i:he mai r services Lithe processing centre operated t MRLS which cos ' solidates book purchasing an covering for libraries in MRLS. INSIDE THE SIGNAL -STAR Soccer season ends The G.D.C.I. junior and senior Vikings both finished their soccer season on Wednesday, May 18. Although the senior team lost only two games they failed to make the playoffs. The junior team which ended their season with a 5-0 victory over Mitchell also did not make the playoffs. Soccer pictures and the stories appear on the 'front page of the Recreation section. Athletes win medals Thirty-three members of the G.D.C.I. Track and Field team travelled to Tillsonburg on Thursday, May 19 to compete in the W.O.S.S.A. meet. Many of the athletes recorded their personal bests during the competition and six of the team members won 11 medals. The story appears on the front page of the Recreation section. • Fun at Robertson During the past week students at Robertson Public School took part in a track and field meet and a junior talent show. Pictures about the two events appear throughout this week's paper.